Name: Air-Fryer Jerk Chicken Leg Quarters
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar; 1 teaspoon ground allspice; 1 teaspoon pepper; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; ¾ teaspoon dry mustard; ¾ teaspoon dried thyme; ½ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper; 2 (10-ounce) chicken leg quarters , trimmed; 1 teaspoon vegetable oil; 1 scallion , green part only, sliced thin; Lime wedge

Why This Recipe Works

We substituted black pepper, dry mustard, and cayenne pepper for the heat of the usual Scotch bonnet peppers. Ground allspice was key, and dried thyme rounded out the traditional seasonings while brown sugar sweetened things up and helped create a deep brown, crackly, and crusted skin on our chicken. We chose skin-on chicken leg quarters, a cut that's forgiving to cook and tender down to the last nibble on the bone. It also offered lots of surface area for our jerk rub. To get both tender meat and crispy skin using our air fryer, we pierced the skin in several places to allow the fat underneath to render more quickly and kept the leg quarters skin side up throughout, ensuring they had time to become deeply colored. Served with lime wedges and a sprinkling of scallion, our jerk chicken legs were mouthwatering.

Before You Begin

Some leg quarters are sold with the backbone attached. Be sure to remove it (we like to use a heavy chef's knife for this task) before cooking so that the chicken fits in the air-fryer basket and to make serving easier.

Instructions

Combine sugar, allspice, pepper, garlic powder, mustard, thyme, salt, and cayenne in bowl. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Using metal skewer, poke 10 to 15 holes in skin of each chicken leg. Rub with oil and sprinkle evenly with spice mixture.

Arrange chicken skin side up in air-fryer basket, spaced evenly apart. Place basket in air fryer and set temperature to 400 degrees. Cook until chicken is well browned and crisp and registers 195 degrees, 27 to 30 minutes, rotating chicken halfway through cooking (do not flip).

Transfer chicken to plate, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with scallion. Serve with lime wedges.